PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – There is throwing snow balls at Santa Claus. There is booing Darren Daulton’s children. There’s the court at Veterans Stadium. And there is cheering Michael Irvin’s injury. Those are the go-to stories that people use when discussing the dark side of Philadelphia fans.

While being taken off the field in a stretcher, suffering a career-ending spinal cord injury, Eagles fans cheered. Almost 15 years later, Irvin said that he and Eagles fans have a mutual respect.

“I meet guys all the time, guys from Philly, and they say ‘man I hated you, but I love you now man. You’re passionate just like I am, I love that. I love seeing it on TV.’ So, you know, I have an appreciation for that,” Irvin told 94WIP’s Brian Haddad on Saturday. Irvin is now a an analyst for the NFL Network. “My affair with Philly has been very intense. Very, very intense. Strong emotions when I was with Dallas. You know when I came out there when I first retired, and we would come out to do a game, and the people in Philly would say ‘we hate you!’ and the veins in their neck.”

Irvin still remembers the injury, and the hospital visit that ended his Hall Of Fame career, and he says it was all meant to be.

“I do believe in the spiritual side of it all, how things work. It was perfectly ordained,” Irvin said. “When I was laid up, when I was taken off the field in Philly, it was on a stretcher. They rushed me to the hospital. Of course Jerry [Jones] rides with me to the hospital and I’m sitting, I’m paralyzed, can’t move, and the owner comes in the room, and he just, you could tell man, he’s in a place, his lips are shaking, very emotional. Jeff Lurie comes in and I wanted to free him, but also share truth with him. And I looked over and I said to him, I said ‘I’m good,’ you know, and I said “I understand your people, they’re very passionate, like I am, they were just saying ‘get him off the field, he’s been killing us for ten years!’ And I do believe that that’s what it was. And honestly, to have shared that night with him, and then get the words that I get fifteen years later from fans saying that exact thing, that’s why I say it was ordained.”

Even though Irvin’s career was cut short by a brutal injury, and there is a constant flow of news suggesting that brain injuries in the NFL are commonplace, Irvin says he’d never sue the league. He also doesn’t take the side of President Obama, or other players who question whether they’d allow their children to play the game.

“I’m a football player. Seeing my [sons] play football, oh my god,” Irvin said. “My wife said, when they had the concussion thing on [television], she said ‘I’d rather the boys play basketball.’ I said ‘ok baby,’ just not to have any more arguments. And you know, not to uh, after getting caught in the hotel room and messing up all the things I’ve done. I said ‘yeah baby, whatever you want.’ But she said it to Michael and Elijah, my sons, and they said ‘yeah mom, we like basketball, but we’re football players mom, that’s what we are.’ And man, you’re talking about, my heart smiled from one side under my arm to the other, a huge smile.”

“It’s the greatest game in the world,” he said.

Irvin said he cried when he was finally inducted into the Football Hall Of Fame in 2007, and didn’t want to take his induction blazer even after the ceremony ended, and then, even later than that. “When I finally got in, I wasn’t taking that jacket off,” Irvin said. “When I came in the room, she was like ‘what are you doing? You’re not getting into bed with that thing on like that.’ Oh yeah baby, yes I am.”


(philadelphia.cbslocal.com)

NEW YORK (AP) -- NFL greats Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshall Faulk are appearing in a public service announcement in favor of gun law reforms.

The spot released Friday is paid for by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which was founded by New York City's Michael Bloomberg and Boston's Thomas Menino. A solemn Smith speaks into the camera: "For the children of Sandy Hook Elementary." Then Tomlinson adds, "Demand a plan."

Faulk says later: "It's time for our leaders to do something."

Mayors Against Illegal Guns says on its website that it "advocates for common-sense measures that will close deadly gaps in our gun laws and make sure law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to detect and deter gun trafficking."


(ap.com)

The staying power of retiring Ravens star inside linebacker Ray Lewis resonates strongly with former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, a fellow Miami football standout.

For Irvin, watching the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year excel for 17 seasons has separated him from the pack of NFL defenders.

Since returning from a torn right triceps, Lewis is the leading tackler in the playoffs with 44 stops. The Ravens have earned victories over the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts to make it to the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Now Lewis is preparing for his final football game Sunday night with the AFC champions.

"When we look at Ray's tenure, one place this long, wow, this is incredible," Irvin, an NFL Network analyst, told The Baltimore Sun. "And he's still going, leading all tacklers in the playoffs. That's really still going. It speaks so much of a game we call physical.

"It's a physical game. And there's the importance of leadership and emotions in the game, and that's where Ray has been a huge example. I consider Ray to be one of the greats, if not the greatest to ever play the game."

Unprompted, Irvin, who overcame off-field issues to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, brought up Lewis' troubled past.

Lewis, 37, was accused of double murder in Atlanta following the 2000 Super Bowl in an incident outside a Buckhead nightclub, but the charges were later dropped and he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.

Since that incident, Lewis has significantly repaired his image and avoided trouble with the law.

"For what Ray has been through, honestly, I'm a spiritual man with an understanding of ministry," Irvin said. "Ray is using his life experiences to impact the lives of others. Ray had a horrific situation, a horrific situation where lives were lost, but Ray took that horrific mess and turned it into greatness. What I mean by that is Ray went through something to make sure nobody else from Baltimore had to ever go through anything like that ever again.

"We don't talk about this, but I don't hear problems coming out of Baltimore because Ray used his situation to give everybody an understanding. He's one of the greatest to ever play this game, on and off the field. People point back to the situation he was in and that's fine. But when you talk about the downs he got to, also talk about the highs. He's been incredible."


(baltimoresun.com)

IRVING, Texas — Jason Witten still remembers vividly his first NFL catch, though at the time the Dallas Cowboys tight end didn’t think enough about it to even keep the ball.

It was a 13-yard pass from Quincy Carter in the fourth quarter of a loss against Atlanta, the only catch of his NFL debut in the 2003 season opener.

“It’s one of those deals, you catch it, you get up. It’s just football, this is what we do,” Witten recalled Wednesday. “It seems like it was yesterday.”

When the Cowboys play at Atlanta on Sunday night, Witten might catch a ball really worth keeping.

With four more receptions, Witten will surpass Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin’s career mark of 750 that stands as the Cowboys’ franchise record.

“Their exterior might be different but they’re all about the same thing,” said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, who was Irvin’s teammate. “Each of those guys is as good a teammate as I’ve been around, as passionate about this game as I’ve been around, works as hard at this game as anybody I’ve ever been around. Really, really well liked.

“Michael is obviously flamboyant. Jason is not quite as flamboyant. But the passion in both of those guys is there.”

Witten broke his own single-game franchise record by catching 18 passes in a loss to the New York Giants last Sunday. The seven-time Pro Bowler has 43 receptions over the last four games after a slow start while he recovered from a lacerated spleen.

Now he is close to passing Irvin’s career mark established over 12 seasons (1988-99).

“He was one of the greatest,” Witten said. “So just to be mentioned with Michael Irvin is special, and hopefully we’ll have a good discussion after a big win about it, once it happens. But really, until then, my focus is trying to help this team win and where we’re at in the season.”

The Cowboys (3-4), after missing a chance to get within a half-game of the Giants (6-2) for the NFC East lead, now play the NFL’s only undefeated team.
That also means Witten has a chance to break Irvin’s record with Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez on the other side of the field.

Witten ranks third on the tight end list with his 747 catches, trailing Gonzalez (1,195) and retired Shannon Sharpe (815). Witten is also third among tight ends with 8,396 yards receiving.

“I have all of the respect for him. He plays the position the way it’s supposed to be played,” Gonzalez said of Witten during a conference call with Dallas media. “He’s definitely, without a doubt, a dual tight end. That means he blocks and catches, and obviously where the state of the tight end is in the NFL right now. I mean a lot of these guys are just catching passes so I love seeing a guy like him blocking and catching the ball and doing both things very, very well.”

Gonzalez and Witten have become friends over the years while playing in Pro Bowl games and attending Super Bowls. For all of their catches and records, they have only one playoff victory among them — Gonzalez is 0-5 and Witten 1-4 with an NFC wild-card victory three seasons ago.

This is the 16th NFL season for Gonzalez, who plans on retiring after this one. He said he is “95 percent sure” of that even though he has no doubt he could play at a pretty high level for a couple of years more.

“He’s the greatest to ever play the tight end position,” Witten said. “It’s amazing, he’s still going at the level that he’s doing it. You talk about durability and consistency, he kind of defines that, especially at this position.

“I’m a big fan, and it’s great to see him still at a high level the way he plays and how he carries himself both on and off the field.”

Witten has played in 150 NFL games. The only game he missed was because of a broken jaw as a rookie in Bill Parcells’ first season as Cowboys coach.
It was Parcells who used to say then about Witten, “don’t put him in Canton yet.”

But there could be a future spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for Witten, who never even considered being the Cowboys’ career receptions leader when he first arrived as a third-round draft pick out of Tennessee.

“I was just trying to survive that first training camp,” Witten said. “You’re always in search of the perfect play and the perfect game, so it’s just this process you’re always trying to be better and better and better. You don’t really get to that point that you can enjoy it, because you’re always looking for more, and expectations get higher.

“If it happens, it will be special.”


(washingtonpost.com)

Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin knows how hard it is to win three Super Bowls, because he’s done it. And he says he’s so impressed with Patriots coach Bill Belichick winning three Super Bowls that the NFL should rename the trophy that goes to the Super Bowl winner and put Belichick’s name on it.

Irvin told the Boston Herald that if he had his way, he’d change the name of the Vince Lombardi Trophy to recognize Belichick as well.

“I think the world of Belichick,” Irvin said. “I told him this, ‘Man, if it was up to me, that trophy would be called the Lombardi/Belichick.’ I don’t care what they think. It would be called the Lombardi/Belichick. That’s how good he is to do what he’s doing in this day and age, what the league is now. I would call it the Lombardi/Belichick.”

The trophy given to the Super Bowl winners was just referred to as the “world championship trophy” for the first four years of its existence, but when Vince Lombardi — who led the Packers to victory in Super Bowls I and II — died in 1970, the name was changed to the Vince Lombardi Trophy, starting with Super Bowl V. Honoring Lombardi wasn’t just about recognizing his multiple titles, it was also about his role as one of the towering figures in the NFL during the era when the Super Bowl became America’s biggest annual sporting event.

If we’re going to add Belichick’s name, why not also add the name of four-time Super Bowl-winning coach Chuck Noll? Or three-time Super Bowl-winning coaches Bill Walsh and Joe Gibbs? Or two-time Super Bowl-winning coaches Jimmy Johnson, Tom Coughlin, Mike Shanahan, Tom Flores, Tom Landry and Don Shula? Maybe we should call it the Lombardi/Belichick/ Noll/Walsh/ Gibbs/Johnson/ Coughlin/Shanahan/Flores/ Landry/Shula Trophy.


(profootballtalk.com)

IRVING, Texas -- When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Dez Bryant in 2010, they gave him No. 88 in hopes he would be the team’s next Drew Pearson or Michael Irvin.

Speaking on the NFL Network on Tuesday, Irvin, the Cowboys’ Hall of Fame wide receiver, said he was disappointed to learn of Bryant’s arrest Monday for family violence. DeSoto Police allege Bryant grabbed his mother, Angela, by her t-shirt and hair and “hit her across the face with his ball cap” last Saturday.

“To say this is totally out of the realm of possibility, I wouldn’t be totally honest,” Irvin said. “We know (with) Dez’s background and his upbringing that he may have the proclivity to make bad decisions. I had that proclivity. But to go this distance with it is a bit far. I don’t even care to talk about what the Dallas Cowboys must be doing here. I need to know what some counsel is going to tell Dez or what guy he is talking to about this issue. You cannot -- and you heard (Bryant’s mother) say she is tired of this, she can’t take it. Obviously it’s so sad because it’s not the first time and there certainly is something going on there. If we care anything about him, the man -- forget the football -- we need to make sure somebody looks into this.”

Irvin, who had a number of off-field incidents in his career and incurred a five-game suspension to start the 1996 season, said his “heart bleeds,” after hearing the 911 call placed by Angela Bryant.

“This is uncharted waters. I like to speak out of my spirit on a lot of things, both the highs and the lows, the peaks and the valleys I’ve experienced,” Irvin said. “But this is out of the world for me. I’ve never laid my hands on any woman, let alone talk about the No. 1 woman in any man’s life, which should be his mother. You have to only try to think about where the anger and all of that is for you to get to that point. That’s why the pressures or the stress of what you’re dealing with, whatever is going on, we can’t have that. I know he has to be saying the same things now.”

Irvin did not want to discuss whether he felt Bryant was worth the trouble for the Cowboys to keep. In his first two seasons, Bryant has 108 receptions for 1,489 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also returned two punts for touchdowns as a rookie.

“Those are all-world numbers for a guy in his first two years to come with 60-something catches last year in your second year, just about 900 yards and double-digit touchdowns (actually nine),” Irvin said. “That is off-the-chart numbers. And all of the other stuff has been absolutely (worth it) because that’s up to your debate whether someone sagging pants is really a national story or cultural difference, even though it may have shown a lacking in judgment. But here again, this issue is something new. You guys want to talk about football; I want to tell you about the man. I don’t care what the Dallas Cowboys think on this situation; I only want somebody to talk to Dez about figuring out how you get to the place where your mom is begging you to go home and not hit her. I don’t care about anything else. That’s serious stuff that we have to get to the bottom of.”


(espn.com)

With his contract expiring, former University of Miami great Michael Irvin left his WQAM-560 talk show on Monday, telling listeners that it "hurts" that his two-year stint on the station has ended.

Irvin’s agent, Steve Mandel, said WQAM wanted to keep the former Dallas Cowboys star but only if he moved from Dallas to South Florida.  Irvin “wasn’t prepared” to do that, Mandel said.

After Irvin declined that request, the station asked if he wanted to appear weekly on Joe Rose’s morning show and make other occasional appearances, Mandel said. But Irvin said no.

WQAM general manager Joe Bell said he prefered Irvin do the show from South Florida because it would have been easier to market it.

Irvin, who has been an NFL Network analyst since 2009, plans to explore options elsewhere in the market, with WMEN-640 and WINZ-940 among stations he is expected to approach.

Though 790 The Ticket has an opening, Irvin appears unlikely to end up there in a full-time role. The station is looking at pairing Marc Hochman with either Jon Weiner or Jonathan Zaslow on its morning show.

“I promise you – stay tuned,” Irvin told listeners. “I will find my way back on the air to you.”

He told listeners that leaving WQAM “absolutely hurts” because “I’ve got a season coming up at UM. I wanted to talk you through this season. But business is business. I can’t begrudge anyone. I wish everybody the best.”

Irvin hosted the show for the first year with former TNT NFL analyst Kevin Kiley before Kiley retired last year. This year, his co-host has been South Florida-based WQAM staffer Curtis Stevenson. In January, Irvin’s program was shifted two hours earlier (to 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

Jorge Sedano, who left 790 The Ticket’s morning show in April to concentrate on a television career, is the front-runner to replace Irvin. Because of a non-compete clause in his 790 contract, Sedano could not join WQAM until after Aug. 9.


(miamiherald.com)

Play “Madden NFL 13” and you have the chance to draft a rookie version of Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin.

So I ask “The Playmaker”: If he could do it all over again, what advice would he give a rookie Irvin before heading into the NFL?
“I would tell a young me that at this level, you can’t win games all by yourself; football is a team sport,” he tells me as we talk football and “Madden” at a recent EA Sports event in Chicago. “When I first came into the league, I thought it was going to be easy. I thought when Dallas drafted me, we were immediately going to the Super Bowl and we were winning everything. Coming from Miami, I lost two or three games in three years, then I get to Dallas and the first game we play, we got our heads kicked in. Second game? We got our heads kicked in. I couldn’t understand how we were losing when I was out on the field.

“That’s when I realized, you can’t do it by yourself. Then we got Troy and Emmitt and things started working out, but that’s the biggest thing young players need to understand. You need teammates in the NFL. This is not Little League where you can just go out and run things.”

ESPN Playbook: When I draft you in “Madden NFL 13,” I can pick you for any team. If I could put a rookie Michael Irvin on any current roster, where would you like to play?
Michael Irvin: Before I was drafted in real life, being from Miami, I wish I could’ve played with Dan Marino and the Dolphins. I used to hang out with Mark Duper and Mark Clayton when I was at the University of Miami, and I thought I could’ve been that big receiver for them.

If I could join any current team, put me with Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay. I’d go off in that offense with Rodgers. The other quarterback I’d like to play with is Tom Brady. Only problem is, both of those places get pretty cold. [Laughs] I love the way those guys throw the ball.

Other legends in “Madden” this year include Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders. Do you think you would have gotten that last ring if Deion would’ve stayed in San Francisco and never joined the Cowboys? He really seemed to swing the balance of power.
Listen, we were getting rings long before Deion went anywhere. I think that no-pass interference call and the three turnovers we gave up at the beginning of that game swung the balance of power for that playoff game. If we would’ve come back and won that game, there would’ve been no balance of power swung. Trust me, now. We spotted them 21 and closed the gap. I don’t think anyone could’ve spotted us 21 and closed the gap.

Did you used to play “Madden” back in the day?
I played “Madden” all the time, especially back when I was still in the league. If Dallas was about to play Chicago, I’d play against the Bears in “Madden” and I’d sit there and throw the ball to me every time. Every guy in the National Football League does that. I guarantee it. Without even asking or taking a poll, every guy in the NFL plays “Madden,” and they sit there and make themselves a star, whether they really are one or not. And the great thing about the game is, it keeps us relevant. I run into kids all the time and they’re like, “Hey, you’re that football player from the movie, ‘The Longest Yard.’ I’m like, ‘No, no, I’m a real football player who did a movie.’ [Laughs] But now with “Madden” and this legends program, it makes us important in their eyes because you have to earn these legends. It makes you want to research the legends you’re playing as, and it introduces us to this younger audience, who never saw us play in real life. That’s how I think about it. I want these kids to want to be that Michael Irvin guy from Dallas. That Michael Irvin guy is a 99, I need to have him on my team. That’s cool.

Another big receiver, Calvin Johnson, is going to be on the cover this year. Do you believe in the “Madden” Curse?
I’m a spiritual man, and the Bible tells me: “As a man thinketh, so is he.” There’s a financial term called the expectancy theory, where we’re expecting a recession, we’re expecting it and expecting it for so long, that we all hold on to our money and we get that recession. Same thing for the “Madden” Curse. Calvin just needs to go out there and play the game and play hard. I don’t believe in curses. Marshall Faulk was on the cover twice and he’s still moving. Trust me, Calvin Johnson is a bad man. He’ll be fine.

How would you compare Calvin Johnson and his skill set to big receivers like yourself?
Calvin Johnson is taking things to a whole different level, but some of that is because of the different rules. I was a big receiver, but I was still required to run routes. Now they’re running to areas and throwing the ball up for grabs. There are less routes due to the defensive calls that are being made. We had a lot more one-on-one bouts. We had Michael Irvin versus Darrell Green or Michael Irvin versus Deion Sanders. They don’t have one-on-one, man versus man. Now it’s about scheme versus scheme. Who is the big wide receiver versus defensive back match-up today? It’s only Darrelle Revis and whoever he plays. There are no other cornerbacks who play like that. It’s a different league, but Calvin is a beast.

What do you think your stats would’ve looked like if you didn’t have to worry about the safety flying over and trying to take your head off?
That’s another thing. I believe that courage, courage is a hell of a trait, and with the new rules, they’ve removed some of the courage out of the game. People used to say to me, “Michael is fearless.” I’m not fearless. Everybody has fear, we’re human, we all have fear, but courage says that I have the ability to overcome my fear. But now you don’t have to worry about that -- boom, boom -- I was worried about it, but I overcame it with courage. They’ve removed the courage out of the game. Still a great game, but the courage has been removed.


(espn.com)

Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin said at the NFL Rookie Symposium that young players who think they need to be loyal to their old friends need to understand something: Those friends won’t always be loyal to them.

Referencing the 1996 drug charges that led to a no-contest plea and a five-game suspension, Irvin mentioned that people who had been his friends testified against him.

“All my keepin’ it real partners testified against me. They ran right to the D.A., ‘Oh, yeah, Michael did it.’ They kept it real, ‘I’m staying out of jail. Michael did it,’” Irvin said.

Irvin mentioned another Symposium speaker, Michael Vick, and how his three longtime friends turned dogfighting co-defendants all pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against him.

“Michael Vick stood up here and he told you,” Irvin told the rookies. “All his keep it real friends, they kept it real. They ran right to the police, ‘I’m keepin’ it real: He did it. He did it.’ All your keepin’ it real friends, I promise you, they’re going to keep it real on you.”

Irvin told the rookies at the symposium that they need to remember that they earned what they have in the NFL, and they don’t need to worry about, in Irvin’s words, “Somebody that didn’t put in the work that you put in, because he’s not determined enough, he doesn’t know how to get his butt up and doesn’t feel like getting his butt up and going to work.”

Irvin said he wanted to speak to the rookies because “When I came into the league I didn’t have anybody to tell me some things.” Irvin was ready for the on-field part of the NFL from Day One, but it took him many years and some painful lessons to be ready to conduct himself like a professional off the field. The lessons he learned the hard way are the ones he’s trying to impart on the rookies of today.


(profootballtalk.com)

Former Cowboy and Hall of Fame WR Michael Irvin of the NFL Network was so sickened listening to the audio of Gregg Williams telling his players to injure certain 49ers that he almost tossed his cookies:

“Since you were a baby you’ve understood never take out a man’s knees and on this tape he’s talking about taking out an ACL,”…

“I almost threw up when I heard it. I pulled back any covers that I may have had for a coach. If he is out of the league forever, it would be only the right thing to do.”

Williams is currently serving an indefinite suspension.

Whether Roger Goodell decides to let Williams back at some point, Irvin goes on to say “The Commissioner, you can’t let [Williams] back in,”

Williams’ indefinite suspension may just turn out to be a lifetime ban. With all the concern going on in the league regarding player safety, this has to be really disappointing to the NFL brass to hear a coach cross the line like this.

While this does not bode well for the Saints’ appeal, it all but destroys Gregg Williams’ NFL coaching career.


(60maxpowero.com)

The most talked-about quarterback in Indianapolis this week isn't Tom Brady or Eli Manning, it's Peyton Manning, who might never don a Colts uniform again.

Just about everyone has an opinion about Peyton -- whether he will or won't play again, and if he does, whether he'll be in Indianapolis or elsewhere.

The NFL Network's Michael Irvin is among those who would cringe watching Manning in the colors of one of the other 31 teams.

"It’s a unique situation," Irvin said. "People say it’s like what Brett [Favre] went through in Green Bay, but this is different. They had such tradition before Brett got there.

"Whatever understanding we have of what [Colts Owner Jim] Irsay calls 'the horseshoe,' Peyton made. I heard Irsay say, 'He knows the horseshoe comes first...' What are you talking about? The horseshoe is first?

"The horseshoe was nothing before Peyton got here. You could have taken that horseshoe, you couldn’t have given it away. It wasn’t lucky, it was killing you. Until Peyton got here."


(latimesblog.com)

MONDAY, DeSean Jackson told reporters at NovaCare that he understood why he was inactive for Sunday's loss to the Cardinals, and that he respected Eagles coach Andy Reid for the decision he made after Jackson missed a special-teams meeting Saturday morning.

Last night, the NFL Network aired excerpts from a Michael Irvin interview with Jackson, in which the former Cowboys wideout seems to go out of his way to imply something was fishy about the team's discipline, and to get Jackson to say something incendiary about the Eagles.

Jackson does a decent job of parrying, until he is asked whether it is the usual policy to not let someone play after missing the Saturday special-teams meeting.

"Honestly, I've never seen coach Reid do anything like that. I've never seen him bench anybody for missing a meeting," Jackson tells Irvin.

Earlier in the interview, Irvin asserts that Jackson was a little more than 20 minutes late for the meeting; the Eagles have said he missed it. Then Irvin seemingly tries to get Jackson to say his contract dispute was the reason he was deactivated.

"There is speculation and things have been reported that the decision not to play you was because of other things that have been happening," Irvin says. "What are your thoughts on that?"

"I don't think so," Jackson says. "Being late to a meeting is unacceptable, of course. I understand that, but I've never been a problem, never been a distraction. I just come to work and do my thing."

Asked whether he wanted to play, Jackson says: "Of course. I want to play every game."

On NFL.com, in a piece authored by Irvin about the interview, Irvin asserts that Jackson "admitted it had happened once before since he's been with the Eagles, but it wasn't a chronic issue. DeSean also said he'd seen other players miss or be late for meetings and they still played the following Sunday."

Later, Irvin writes this: "DeSean made a point of saying there have been rumors about the people he associates with away from the field as being one of the reasons the Eagles haven't committed to a new deal. But he pointed out he hasn't gotten in any trouble off the field, and has been active in the community."

More of the interview will air on NFL Network's "Thursday Night Kickoff" at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(philly.com)

Broward County officials have slapped a lien on the home of WQAM-560 AM host and retired Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin’s momma!

The Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office claims Stella Irvin owes $49,852.79 in unpaid taxes and penalties for unjustly claiming homestead exemption since 2001.

Mama Irvin, who raised Michael and 16 other kids, is believed to be living at Michael’s $300,000 house in Plantation.

Yet, she’s been claiming exemption on another house valued at $82,000, and she can’t legally do that if she doesn’t live there!

Neither former University of Miami star Irvin nor his mom or the staff at the Property Appraiser commented.

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(gossipextra.com)

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin retired from the team more than 10 years ago, and joined the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Today, however, he has another project — his 14-year-old son. He's on the eighth grade football team at Prestonwood Christian Academy.

On Thursday night, Irvin was watching the team play in Celina, yelling instructions to his son from the Celina side. He later described what happened in a radio interview.

"I said, 'Go get him back! Go hit him back! He's over you, you go block him!' to send the message. 'You come up here, with that, this is what you're going.' Man, that coach came... that coach like, 'You get your butt out of here right now!'"

A Celina ISD administrator tells News 8 Irvin became loud and belligerent, using the F-word. Irvin denies he used profanity.
Regardless, a Celina assistant principal called police.

Irvin refused to return to the Prestonwood Christian Academy side of the field.

"I did say this to the man. I said, 'I'm waiting on the police. When the police say I'll go, I'll go. I have to go? I'll go.' You're not thinking you're man enough to come and move me. And I think that might have tipped it just a little bit right there. The way in which a big black man delivered that to that fellow. That might have just tipped it and scared a few people. Anyway, the police came."

Irvin left when a responding officer told him he was on Celina's property.

There are no restrictions against Irvin attending future games.

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(wfaa.com)

Jack McKeon, Michael Irvin, Jennifer Rodriguez and Juan Pablo Montoya each made their marks on the South Florida sports community.
On Wednesday morning, they were honored for their efforts.

The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Sports Hall of Champions on Wednesday afternoon with its annual awards banquet at American Airlines Arena.

Montoya, McKeon, Irvin and Rodriguez joined a pantheon of athletes and coaches with ties to Miami that have been honored over the past two decades. The list includes Muhammad Ali, Joe DiMaggio, Dan Marino, Don Shula and Arthur Ashe.

Longtime Miami Heat announcers Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino were also recognized with the Lifetime Contribution to Sports Awards for their contributions to the franchise and the community.

rvin, the former UM and Dallas Cowboys standout, wrapped up the luncheon with a powerful speech about making a difference in people’s lives.

The Hall of Fame receiver spoke about being a mentor to Cowboys receiver Jesse Holley, who earned an invitation to the team’s training camp after winning Irvin’s reality show 4th and Long in 2009. Holley is playing this season for Dallas.

“We want to be a light for others and most importantly, you want to shine a light on the people that helped you get here,” Irvin said. “An award like this really comes down to the journey.”

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(miamiherald.com)

We’ve been tuned-in for the recent debate over whether Calvin Johnson of the Lions is truly the NFL’s best receiver. Johnson, and the other Johnson — Andre — certainly could stake claim to that title and not raise any eyebrows (unlike certain other boasts for Miles Austin and Dez Bryant).

But are we too readily omitting the receiver who is currently leading the league in receptions and yardage, and on pace to break the NFL’s single-season record in both categories?

For those of you not in the know, that’s Wes Welker.

“The job of a wide receiver is to catch passes, move the chains and score touchdowns,” NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin said on ‘NFL Total Access’ Saturday. “No one — and I’ll say this again, no one — in the National Football League is doing it better than No. 83 for the Patriots.
“He’s the best receiver in the NFL, bar none, period.”

Other than being among the best at what he does, Welker has few characteristics of what most think of when it comes to prototypical No. 1 receivers. It was a point raised by Irvin, who believes Welker is doing something never seen before in the NFL.

“He’s unconventional. He does things differently,” Irvin added. “We’ve never seen anything like Welker, because we have never, ever in the history of this game watched the primary receiver from the slot.”

On the way out … who gets your vote as the NFL’s best receiver?

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nfl.com)

Despite the headline, the NFL Network’s Contender/Pretender discussion on the Redskins was actually largely positive toward the club. Including Michael Irvin, who struggled with how to categorize the team. Still, in the end, three of the four panelists agreed that Washington belongs in the “Pretender” category.

Transcript:

Jim Mora Jr.: “You know what, I’m not sold on them yet but I like the direction they’re headed. They’re playing better defense.”
Warren Sapp: “They’re running the ball, play-action pass, and they’re physical inside.”

Mora: “And that’s what Mike Shanahan likes to do offensively, he likes to run the ball, play-action pass, get the edge. Jim Haslett’s got them playing good defense, and kind of believing in what they’re doing.”

Heath Evans: “There is a lot of similarities between that Chicago team that Rex led to the Super Bowl and this. There is a solid defensive core there that has struggled, but I think they struggled more because their offense couldn’t get on the field and stay on the field.”

Michael Irvin: “The one thing I will say though when I watch the Redskins, you know, I was a problem sometimes with my crazy butt in Dallas, but wow, what a difference peace will make....You can say what you want about the Redskins, all of that mess is gone, they’re on one accord, and you’re seeing the results of that.”

Then the Contender/Pretender question was raised. 

“This division?” Evans said. “Pretender.” 

“Pretender for me too, for me too,” Sapp agreed.

“No kidding,” Mora said. “Contender.”

“Philly’s going to be in there, so you can only pull two from the division,” Irvin said. “So if I put contender on Washington, I’m saying pretender on Dallas....I’m gonna put pretender on Washington. I’m gonna put pretender on Washington.”

Click here to order Michel Irvin’s or Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

After winning Michael Irvin’s reality show, “4th and Long” in 2009, Jesse Holley surprised a good deal of folks when he made the practice squad on the heels of his training camp invite--the prize for his reality win. Perhaps even more surprising, Holley stuck around, eventually being promoted to the active roster.

On Sunday, with the Cowboys’ receiving corps banged up, Holley made another unlikely stride in a pretty unlikely career thus far, catching three passes for 96 yards--including a 77-yard catch-and-run that set up the Cowboys’ game-winning field goal in overtime.

"When Jesse caught this ball (77-yard reception in overtime), I said to myself, 'I'm sitting in my office at the NFL Network and I'm still winning games for the Dallas Cowboys,'" Irvin said on the NFL Network, via the Dallas Morning News.

"(When Holley) earned this spot. I told Jerry [Jones] don't make it easy on him; make it hard on him. Jerry has called me numerous times talking about how hard this kid works and he was exactly the right kid. It really is a blessing from God."

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nbcdfw.com)

Any day now NFL Network will formally announce it is handing Michael Irvin a new contract. Irvin joined NFLN at the start of the 2009 season after a stint with ESPN.

“He’s a cornerstone broadcaster for us,” said Eric Weinberger, NFL Network’s executive producer. “His contributions across the board are as good as it gets.”

As a three-time Super Bowl champion and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Irvin enjoys unparalleled access to players and coaches around the league.

“He is now an elder statesman,” Weinberger said. “He’s flawless at it. He has the ability in any situation to make the person sitting across the table from him feel like a teammate.”

Irvin’s duties are being expanded. In addition to his all-day Sunday studio duties, he will be in the studio when NFLN begins its Thursday night game broadcasts the second half of the season.

And the network is installing a camera in his Plano home should it need him “at a moment’s notice” to comment on a breaking news story.

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(dallasnews.com)

Cowboys’ linebacker Bradie James caused some waves last week when he said that in the recent past, the franchise has been doomed by a sense of entitlement. If nothing else, it was a brutally honest assessment of the team’s recent years from one of its leaders.

What’s more, according to Michael Irvin, the remarks could be a sign of a culture change at Valley Ranch, the result of Jason Garrett’s presence as head coach. Irvin, who played with Garrett for seven seasons in Dallas, believes his redheaded former teammate is bringing accountability back to Valley Ranch.

“I told you guys when Jason Garrett took over that he will change things,” Irvin said in a recent interview on the NFL Network, via the Dallas Morning News. “He’s going back to the old Jimmy Johnson style where you’re going to have to earn everything. And I certainly do like that.”

Of course, Garrett was a backup on those early- to mid-90s Cowboy teams that won Super Bowls, while Irvin was a star. But even back then, the Hall of Fame receiver saw an impressive work ethic from Troy Aikman’s backup.

“Jason Garrett was one of the guys that earned it,” Irvin said. “He didn’t step on the field on Super Bowl Sunday, but I worked his butt to death everyday in practice when I couldn’t go with Troy [Aikman]. So, he understands what it takes and he’s going to deliver it.”

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nbcdfw.com)

Former Miami star and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin called disgraced Miami booster Nevin Shapiro a “snake” and a “rapist” in a radio interview.

Irvin was a guest on ESPN Radio Los Angeles, and began the interview by explaining his attacks on Shapiro on his own radio show in Miami. “I got personal,” Irvin said. “I called the guy a snake.”

Later in the interview, when the subject of Shapiro’s $930 million Ponzi scheme was addressed, Irvin said, “It doesn’t get any lower than this. You sit with people and you not only take money from these people, and you go here and you rape these kids of their future.”
Irvin said he still wants to wait and see the credibility in Shapiro’s claims of paying millions of dollars to 72 current and former Miami players, and players Miami was trying to recruit.

“We have to consider the source when we get stuff like this, and hope the NCAA does too,” Irvin said. “I had the guy on from Yahoo! today that did the article (Charles Robinson) and he was saying this guy says he doesn’t care. He wants to die. He has sixteen years of sin. I said anytime you run into someone who is suicidal you better believe they are homicidal. If they don’t care about their own life. They don’t care about anybody else’s life. Now if he is at place where he doesn’t want to die, then OK, what is he going to do? He’s going to reach up and bring down everybody. I’m not saying the things he said are not true. I am sure some of it is true, but in the middle of it I am going to blow it all up because let’s remember he always wanted to be big time.”

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sportingnews.com)

ESPN in their Yards To Glory Series counts down the top college plays in the history of NCAAF. Obviously there are quite a few proCanes involved!

25. Kelly's Throws
Jim Kelly helps upset Penn State in first start
Nov. 3, 1979: After a 3-4 start, Miami coach Howard Schnellenberger made a desperate move, giving freshman quarterback Jim Kelly his first college start at Penn State. Kelly, who was recruited by the Nittany Lions as a linebacker, didn't find out he was starting until moments before the game. He responded by throwing up in the locker room. Kelly also threw a 25-yard touchdown to Jim Joiner in the third quarter, helping the Hurricanes upset the No. 19 Nittany Lions 26-10.

31. Hurricane Willis
Willis McGahee scores school record sixth touchdown
Dec. 7, 2002: With Miami comfortably ahead of Virginia Tech 42-21 in the third quarter, running back Willis McGahee made Hurricanes history when he sprinted into the end zone from 31 yards out to score his sixth touchdown of the day, breaking the school record for total touchdowns scored in a game. McGahee didn't have to do much on the play. He simply bolted through the middle, made a slight cut to the right and jogged in to make it 49-21.

42. Leonard Part 2
Leonard Conley runs Miami past Nebraska in Orange Bowl
Jan. 2, 1989: Miami's diminutive Leonard Conley stood tall in the Orange Bowl against Nebraska, scoring both of the Hurricanes' touchdowns in a 23-3 win. The second score stood out, as he caught a Steve Walsh pass in the flat, juked Nebraska's Lorenzo Hicks and scooted down the sideline for a 42-yard touchdown. Miami receiver Dale Dawkins spurred Conley with a crushing downfield block. The catch marked Conley's longest in college as Miami handed Nebraska its first loss of the season.

73. Raising Cane
Michael Irvin's catch-and-run buries FSU
Oct. 3, 1987: In a game that featured two unbeaten in-state rivals, Miami trailed Florida State 19-3 late in the third quarter when Miami quarterback Steve Walsh almost single-handedly changed the game. He threw three touchdown passes in the final 16 minutes, including a 73-yarder to Michael Irvin that gave the Canes a 26-19 lead with 2:22 remaining. Walsh threw the ball into double coverage, but Irvin made the catch and helped preserve a 26-25 win en route to a national title.

80. Reed And React
Ed Reed helps save Miami's title hopes
Nov. 10, 2001: Miami's national championship hopes were on the line when a late defensive stand saved the Canes. Boston College moved to the Miami 9 in the final minute of the game. But Mike Rumph deflected a Brian St. Pierre pass to tackle Matt Walters, who started running downfield. Ed Reed took the ball from him and scored an 80-yard touchdown with 13 seconds left to give Miami an 18-7 win. Miami ended up winning the national title.

Hall of Fame wide receiver and current NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin joined Dennis & Callahan Wednesday morning to discuss the current NFL lockout and other topics. To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page.

Irvin remains optimistic for a deal to get done to put an end to the lockout. He had an interesting analogy to describe what it takes to get a deal done.

“Very optimistic,” Irvin said. “I never really panicked through it all. I have always gone with the notion that anytime the guys, the owners, and even some of these players at the level we’re talking about, the guys that they are saying are ‘name’ guys, business gets done. Business gets done when the slipper falls off Cinderella. That is how it is, when the slipper falls off Cinderella everybody gets serious, and that is what is happening right now. Thank god the slipper is falling off.”

When the lockout ends and players return to the field after months off from team workouts, Irvin said that there will be some injuries.

“Oh yeah, you’re going to see some injuries,” he said. “I was telling some of the young guys that I mentor and talk to that are on the fringe of the NFL, trying to get in, I said, ‘Stay prepared. Being prepared and understanding the formula for success is being prepared when you’re getting the opportunity and success will follow. You will be given the opportunity.’

“Guys will not be in shape, I don’t care what you say, there are guys that are very gifted and very talented, but need the pushing. They did not get that pushing. There will be some injuries and things like that, you will see some bad football.”

Irvin also expressed his condolences on the passing of the passing of Myra Kraft, wife of Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

“Mr. Kraft is an incredible man,” Irvin said. “I have been putting my mom’s affairs in order, I know what it means. It is a difficult task of putting your mom’s affairs in orders, so I know what it means. So, my prayers go out to the Kraft family. There is nothing like a mother and a wife. She will be missed.”

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(weei.com)

Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin said Wednesday that the reaction to his recent appearance on the cover of Out Magazine has been mostly positive. In the Out article, Irvin discussed his late brother, Vaughn, who was homosexual.

"A lot of people that have called and emailed said I have a lot of friends that deal with this," Irvin said on the NFL Network, for which he now works. "And to be honest with you, I have a brother that I didn't know what it was all of it.

m a young, dumb kid just like all of us; we're saying stupid things because we don't know. As we get older, we learn more about how much that hurt people and offended people, and I started thinking about what life must have been like for my brother whom I loved dearly."

Irvin says he's pretty sure he would've reacted the same way to discovering a teammate was gay when he played with the Dallas Cowboys as he would react today.

"At 25, we heard the rumors about my quarterback (Troy Aikman). And it came pretty strong because we were winning Super Bowls then at the time," he said. "We didn't respond to it, that's how I surmise we would have handled it well because everybody was talking about it. We were going to play football.

"You'd get guys in the locker room talking, 'Did you hear about Troy? It doesn't have anything to do with that; as long as he throws that bang-8 on time, that's all that matters.' That's the kind of thing that went on in the locker room, so I have to try to extrapolate from that since it didn't happen. . . . Yes I believe that team with the characters we had I believe we would have handled that well."

Asked what he would say to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison about his use of an anti-gay slur in reference to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Irvin said, "I do talk with James, James is an intelligent guy. I haven't talked with him since then, but I would continue to share with him that if someone said something derogatory about your race, how does it make you feel? You have to try and bring it home. . . . What I mean by that is make it relate to you. Make it relate to you if someone said this about this, how would you feel?"

Do more NFL athletes see the gay issue as Irvin now does or do more feel like Harrison? Irvin says he thinks times are changing.

"I think there are more people that are starting to see this issue the way we are speaking about it in the magazine. I really do," Irvin says. "I certainly think athletes are falling right in that category of people. Now that we know that it is offensive, now that we know it is hurtful, people are tending to turn away from hurtful things, and I think that's a good thing."

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(usatoday.com)

NFL Hall of famer Michael Irvin talks for the first time about his gay brother and explains why he’s on a pro-gay mission from God. By Cyd Zeigler

It was a Friday evening in Fort Lauderdale, warm and clear, like so many that 12-year-old Michael Irvin had experienced growing up in southern Florida. He was riding in a car with his father, Walter, a roofer by trade who spent what little spare time he had operating as the local Primitive Baptist minister. The two were heading home after an errand that was a regular payday ritual: Walter would drive into town to buy cigars and then drop off money with Michael’s grandmother to help with her bills. It was the late 1970s, a time of strife in America, and young Michael had already seen a lot in his low-income neighborhood. But nothing prepared him for what happened next.

As Walter drove up Northwest 27th Avenue, about to turn onto 16th Street, his son noticed a man who looked just like his older brother, Vaughn, walking away from their house toward “all the craziness in the ’hood,” Irvin remembers. It couldn’t be Vaughn: “This man was wearing women’s clothes.” But it was. “My brother had a very distinctive walk,” he says.

Irvin couldn’t believe his eyes. He turned to his father. “My dad looked back at me and said, ‘Yes, that’s your brother. And you love your brother.’ ”

That was it. Irvin, who went on to become one of football’s greatest players, as well as the epitome of the troublemaking macho NFL stereotype, would never again discuss the issue with his father. “Whether Vaughn and my father later spoke about it, I don’t know. But it wasn’t something that was ever discussed among the family,” says Irvin, speaking for the first time about the gay older brother he idolized.

Walter Irvin’s message was simple: Michael was supposed to love his brother unconditionally, no matter what he looked like or who he was. But, still, the discovery was a shock that haunted Irvin as he grew into one of college football’s most feted stars. He worried that people would find out about Vaughn and bring shame upon the family. Most of all, he worried that he was gay. He kept his brother’s secret while winning a national championship with the University of Miami in 1987 (he scored a winning touchdown with a 73-yard catch during that season) and leading the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s. Irvin was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007, and in 2010, NFL .com named him one of the 100 greatest football players in history.

Meanwhile, he developed a reputation as a reckless, self-destructive celebrity who polarized public opinion like no other athlete of his generation. Irvin was a great player with a big mouth and a nasty streak, a man with a penchant for fast living. He made it a point to parade his female conquests past his teammates. Although he’s been married to his wife, Sandy, since 1990, Irvin made what he calls “mistakes” throughout his Cowboys career.

“Growing up, whoever had the most women and the nicest car, he was the man,” he says. “So when you get in the locker room, you remember that. I’m gonna get all the girls so that everybody says, ‘Michael’s the man.’ ”

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.

NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin has never had a weight problem.

The 45-year-old Irvin -- who played 11 years for the Dallas Cowboys and is now a broadcaster for the NFL Network -- has for years carried about 205 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame.

But these days, Irvin loves to spend time motivating athletes and athlete-wannabes to get into shape and achieve their goals -- on the field and off.

That's why he, along with former Cowboys lineman Nate Newton, started working with James of Fort Worth, Texas, to try to help him shed some of his 651 pounds on Monday's episode of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition."

"He has just lost hope," said Irvin, who was the 15th of 17 siblings growing up in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before heading to the University of Miami. "Sometimes people see nothing in front of them and they give up and they eat."

"Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition" documents the makeovers of eight "super obese" people who, in 365 days, set out to safely lose half of their body weight, guided by trainer Chris Powell.

"This is a brilliant idea for a show. This is so different than the athletes I work with," Irvin said. "I had to find ways to push him. I had to find ways to make him care. The weight is his purgatory."

After James hurt his knee in high school, he gave up hope of playing pro football. He turned his focus to computer work and spent long hours at his computer, consuming unhealthy food. And the weight kept piling on.

"Nate and I wanted to get him back into the game of life. Change comes when you make up your mind," Irvin said. "Too many people look at their body in the mirror for inspiration to keep going. When, in fact, the real inspiration comes from what you can't see. It's in your mind."

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

Though the University of Miami would not allow Tommy Streeter to work with Mark Duper because of NCAA concerns, Streeter will accept Michael Irvin’s offer to work with him (and potentially Travis Benjamin), Streeter’s father said.


Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.



(miamiherald.com)

On Saturday proCanes.com had the opportunity to atttend the Annual Hurricane Football Reunion Party at Miami Prime Grill in North Miami. The event was attended by over 100 former Hurricane greats including the likes of Ed Reed, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Michael Irvin and many more.

Gerard Daphnis of Canes4Life organized the event which also honored the 2001 National Championship team. Over 300 former players were in attendance at the 2011 Spring Game where the University of Miami which was held at Lockhart Stadium before the party. Click here to view our full photo gallery of over 500 pictures from the Hurricane Reunion Party and Spring Game. Enjoy!









Click here to view our full photo gallery of over 500 pictures from the Hurricane Reunion Party and Spring Game. Enjoy!

Al Golden made it a personal mission when he became Miami's head coach in December to "uphold the legacy" by bringing former 'Canes back into the fold, and apparently now by embracing a few gems of classic "U" wisdom:

Golden says he's posted that nugget all over the building, further devoting himself to his favorite motivational noun. Of course, you may be thinking that, as far as "the legacy" goes, the golden-era teams in the '80s and '90s were never synonymous with "discipline," and Irvin has never been far from the action at "the U" or since. He's probably not the first guy you'd ask to write a textbook chapter on the subject.

But he does have four rings, five Pro Bowls, a Hall-of-Fame jacket and a short-lived stint on "Dancing With the Stars," which I guess makes him disciplined enough.

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.



(yahoosports.com)

MIAMI -- Former Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin has settled a Florida lawsuit filed by a woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her at a hotel in 2007.

The confidential settlement was announced Friday at a hearing before a Miami federal judge. The woman's attorney declined comment afterwards. Irvin is listed as representing himself but did not attend the hearing.

The settlement still must be approved by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke.

The woman had claimed Irvin assaulted her at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood in July 2007. Prosecutors declined to file charges after reviewing the case.

The lawsuit was filed on the eve of last year's Super Bowl in Miami, which Irvin worked as an NFL Network analyst.

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.



(chicagobreakingsports.com)